Dead or Alive
by Lucreace
Summary: When Cattle are killed on the Granger Ranch, it's left up to Harry, Ron and Hermione to investigate who could have done such a thing. Written for the HPFC challenge - Off the Block. A Harry Potter done Western Style! It is so AU it almost hurts!


**Hello readers. I hope you find this little number interesting. It's written for the Off the Block Challenge (Butterfly, Extra Hard) over on the Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenge forum. I couldn't resist trying to write something Harry Potter in a western setting. I love westerns and the opportunity to combine the two never occurred to me until I saw the prompt. I just hope I can do it the justice it requires.**

**Please feel free to leave comments or suggestions. I always reply to reviews and love reading them.**

**I hope you enjoy this little adventure.**

Dead or Alive

Was it that time already? The banging on the fragile wooden door said it was. Harry rolled over and groaned, early morning sunlight filtered through the flimsy curtains. He flung a hand over his eyes. The instant banging on the door hadn't stopped, "Alright, alright," he muttered, "I'm getting up."

"C'mon, we got to ride out to the ol' Granger place, check out the cattle slaughters from last night." It was Ron, his deputy, forcing him out of the comfort of his bed. The mention of the events of last night made him move though. Cattle slaughter was not a common occurrence out here at Hogwarts but that didn't mean it was a crime that could be overlooked.

"Give me a minute," Harry said. He groped the wooden beside table for his glasses, pushed unruly black hair out his face and yawned. With a quick movement, he was out of bed and had his duster jacket on. He slipped his wand into the holster at his hip, forced his sepia wide-brimmed hat onto his head and left the room. Ron was waiting outside, his arms folded across his chest and a grim look on his face. "Let's go." They descended the stairs, unhitched their horses and began the twenty minute ride out to the Granger Ranch.

The air was arid and the dust rose as the horses hooves trotted along the winding track. The day promised to be as hot as the last. Summers in this land were hot and dusty. Harry pulled his neckerchief over his face and nudged his horse into a canter, the sooner they got there, the sooner they would be out the sun. Ron matched his pace, "What do we know?" Harry asked.

"Nothing more from last night, there was some shouts heard, some flashes and when Mr Granger went to investigate; some of his herd were dead." Ron said.

"Don't like the sound of it." Harry said.

"Me neither."

"Let's hope the light of day helps clear this up somewhat." Harry said. Ron nodded and they rode the rest of the way in silence. The ranch was visible from the track they rode from a good distance. It was a simple wooden building with a spacious veranda. The Granger's had moved here shortly after the town was established and staked a claim to the land north of the town. They'd brought cattle with them and the land had been harsh; it still was but the resourceful couple had turned the dust into something else. The cattle thrived and so did the family. The two lawmen slowed the horses and walked the last few paces to the ranch. "Morning Sherriff." It was Miss Granger on the veranda that morning. She was dressed in a simple cotton riding dress and carried her wand low on her hip. Her parents didn't have the Ability if their daughter but they were open minded enough to let her learn.

"Morning Miss Granger," Ron said. Harry nodded. Both men dismounted and hitched their horses to the rail.

"Get you fella's something to drink?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you." Harry said. Although it hadn't been a long ride, it had been a dusty one. She walked back into the house and motioned for them to follow. She poured them some fresh squeezed lemonade and motioned for them to wait. She disappeared for a moment before reappearing with her father.

"Thank you for coming," Mr Granger said.

"We saw the evidence last night Mr Granger," Harry said, "But I wanted to ask some more questions and see what we can find out today."

"Please, have a seat." Mr Granger said. He gestured to the comfortable looking chairs in the sitting room. All four of them sat, "How can I help you?" he said when everyone was settled.

"It's unusual for cattle to be just killed," Harry said, "It's far too random and a cow is a precious commodity, especially beef cattle like yours. Did they take any of them?" he asked.

"No, I counted the bodies this morning; they killed five of the largest steers." Mr Granger said.

"Do you have any idea who could have done this?" Ron said. Harry watched Mr Granger's reaction as Ron spoke. His eyes were thoughtful, his hands open; trusting.

"I have no enemies; we've lived here since you were boys, as you know. The amount of time you spent playing here with my daughter. There's no one I can think of who'd want to get even with me or anything like that." Mr Granger said. He rose from his chair and began to pace back and forth along the floor. "What am I to do? What if they come back?"

"Did you see anyone?" Harry asked.

"No," he said shaking his head, "I only saw the bright lights and heard laughter. They laughed as the animals died, who does that?"

"It was a dark laugh too," Miss Granger said, "Deep and fractured. Like an evil wind cackling."

"Thank you Miss Granger," Harry said. He drained the glass of lemonade and set it on the floor at his feet. "Do you think we may look at the bodies?"

"Of course," Mr Granger said. They all stood and left the house. It was only a short walk to the paddock where the animals had been killed. Their bodies had been removed by several ranch hands but the place where they had been slain was still visible. The blood stained the dusty ground, seeping into the dirt, staining it red. The animals had been killed close together but there was nothing ritualistic about it. There were many boot prints in the ground surrounding the bodies, however it was difficult to say whether these were from stable hands or the murderers. Ron and Harry scouted the area.

"Over here!" It was Miss Granger who called them over.

"What have you found Miss?" Ron asked.

"There are some tracks that lead away from here. Look." She pointed at the ground and sure enough, there were a multitude of footprints and horse tracks that led into the undergrowth.

"The watering hole is that way and beyond that is the Screaming Canyon." Mr Granger said. Harry and Ron exchanged glances.

"Ain't nothing for it then, we'll have to follow these tracks and see where they lead." Harry said. Ron nodded.

"I'll ride with you." Miss Granger said. "Don't look at me like that, there is no way I'm not going so don't even protest." With that, she turned on her heel and stalked off towards the stables. Ron looked at Harry and shrugged.

"Just make sure she don't do anything stupid." Mr Granger said. With that, they retrieved their own mounts and waited for Miss Granger to return. She did so, riding a black horse.

"Well don't just sit there gawking, we have work to do!" She nudged her horse forward. Ron and Harry both rolled their eyes and followed on her heels. She was correct after all; there was work to be done. It took over an hour to ride to the watering hole and by the time they arrived, the air was hot, dry and uncomfortable. The three of them cooled off by drinking large amounts of water and washing their faces. The horses were equally as grateful for the break. The footprints they found however did not stop at the creek. They disappeared further to the south heading to the Screaming Canyon. It looked as though they were destined to head to that awful place.


End file.
